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Review
. 2007 Oct 31;113(1):1-5.
doi: 10.1016/j.imlet.2007.07.008. Epub 2007 Aug 22.

Mimotope vaccines: epitope mimics induce anti-cancer antibodies

Angelika B Riemer  1 , Erika Jensen-Jarolim
Affiliations
Review

Mimotope vaccines: epitope mimics induce anti-cancer antibodies

Angelika B Riemer et al. Immunol Lett. .

Abstract

Mimotopes are epitope-mimicking structures. When applied for immunizations they induce desired antibody specificities exclusively based on the principle of molecular mimicry. This is important as antibodies directed against tumor-associated antigens may harbor diverse biological effects depending on their epitope specificity. Thus they may inhibit or promote tumor growth. This review gives an update on different vaccination strategies based on the mimotope concept.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The principle of a tumor mimotope vaccine. Mimotopes are epitope-mimicking structures suitable for vaccination. They may be linear or circular peptides (as depicted), or anti-idiotypic antibodies. By virtue of molecular mimicry these mimotopes can induce antibodies not only directed against the immunogen, but also towards the natural epitope expressed or overexpressed on a cancer cell. The antibody response is polyclonal and acts cytotoxic against tumor cells by exploiting several effector functions.
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